Explore local

Tulsa boasts a variety of coffee shops, restaurants and entertainment venues for all ages to enjoy.

Need a home church or a cool spot to study? Looking for something fun to do over the weekend? Feel like a real Tulsa native by visiting all these great local shops.

Churches:

• Looking for a church to get involved with? Check out Victory Christian Center. It’s conveniently located right across the street from ORU. Service times include: Sunday 8:30, 9 and 11 a.m., Saturday 5 p.m. and Wednesday 7 p.m. There are many ways to get involved like, Victory Young Adults, cell groups, outreaches, volunteering and more. Victory’s new campus in downtown Tulsa hosted their first service Monday, Sept. 11.

•Life church is another great church that offers many locations in and around the Tulsa area. Not only are there six different locations in and around the Tulsa area, but there is a variety of service times as well, including: Saturday: 4 and 5 p.m., Sunday: 8:30, 10 and 11:30 a.m. and 1, 5 and 6:30 p.m. At most locations there is also a Wednesday night service at 6:30 p.m. Life Church has many different ways to get connected, for example: LifeGroups, LifeMissions and working for the church.

• Looking for a church with a younger environment and a community-based mission, then City Church might be a great fit. Sunday services meet at 8:30, 10, and 11:30 a.m., and there are many ways to get involved, like attending a Dinner With the Staff, which is an opportunity to hear first hand the mission and vision of the church, or sign up for City Groups and Serve Teams.

•Church on the Move, complete with three locations around Tulsa, is another great opportunity to get involved with a body of Christ. Their main campus, called the Central Campus, meets on Sundays at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., and on Saturdays at 6 p.m. They offer small groups, service groups, and opportunities for outreach.

Coffee Shops:

• Love gelato? Or fresh crepes? Well Mods, located in the Deco District of downtown Tulsa, has both and coffee to go with it. The shop is located in the old and beautiful Philcade Building, and is surrounded by various shops, restaurants, and other old buildings, like the Philtower, all worth exploring with a cup of gelato. Mods is open until 2 p.m. on Mondays and until 10 p.m. during the rest of the week.

• With long tables and lots of seating, Foolish Things Coffee Company is a neat environment for studying. And don’t forget to bring a student ID for 10 percent off of any purchase.

• Coffee House on Cherry Street, also known as CHOCS, is a great place for breakfast, brunch and dessert. And some of their specialty drinks are named after animals, like the Honey Badger and the Grizzly Bear. They may seem small, but there is no shortage in seating, outside and inside, so take advantage of the colorful lawn chairs and fluffy couches to hang out with friends or finish a paper. Hours: Sunday through Thursday 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 12 a.m.

•Shades of Brown, located on the edge of Peoria, doesn’t just sell great coffee, but also local art. Their chill atmosphere is great for small study groups or quiet reading. They are open most days until 11 p.m, and Friday and Saturday until 12 a.m.

•Topeca Coffee Roasters, often considered the mother of all coffee shops in Tulsa, outsource their coffee beans to many other coffee shops in Tulsa. The shop itself is very open, with massive windows and a Gatsby-esque feel. On weekdays, they are open until 7 p.m., on Friday and Saturday until 8 p.m., and Sundays until 4 p.m.

•Cirque, a locally owned, experimental coffee shop, is known for their original signature drinks. They’re located on 6th street and Peoria and are open Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Yokozuna is located down in the historic Blue Dome District in Tulsa. Photo by: Josh Crow

Great Food:

• For some yummy but moderately priced sushi, head over to Yokozuna’s happy hour, everyday from 2 to 5 p.m. Their happy hour includes half-priced appetizers and about eight different sushi rolls.

• Craving some Mexican food? El Guapo’s has an amazing deal of one dollar tacos every Tuesday night. There are two locations in Tulsa, one off of 81st and Harvard and another in the Blue Dome District downtown, complete with rooftop seating overlooking the gorgeous Tulsa skyline.

• For burger lovers out there, McNellie’s serves burgers for only four dollars on Wednesday nights. With an old Irish vibe, McNellie’s is perfect for a post-midterm celebration over burgers and fries.

• For those who love breakfast food for any meal, Dilly Diner is the perfect place. The diner has an old fashioned feel and serves breakfast all day. They even stay open until 1 a.m. on the weekends, for when waffles and coffee are needed to finish a last minute paper.

•Hurts Donuts is one of Tulsa’s newest additions, located right next to Yokozuna in downtown. Their website proudly proclaims to be open “25 hours a day, 8 days a week,” so stop by anytime for a wacky donut or twelve.

• The Rusty Crane is one of Tulsa’s more trendy restaurants and is great for larger groups of people. Though it’s more on the pricey side, they have half-priced appetizers on Mondays through Fridays from 2 to 6 p.m. On weekdays, they close at 11 p.m. and on weekends at 12 a.m.

The back of the the Philbrook Museum is home to a public sculpture garden. Photo by: Jeremy Luzcak

Cool Places to Check Out:

• Guthrie Green is an ideal place to visit for some free activities to enjoy or just a free place to hang out. It’s an urban park in the middle of downtown Tulsa offering Zumba classes on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and live local music at 6:30 p.m. Yoga is held on Mondays on the green at 5:30 p.m. and fitness on the green at 6:30 p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, there is a boot camp fitness class at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays there are food trucks starting at 11:30 a.m. and yoga at 5:30 p.m. There is also a movie in the park at 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

• For some fun activities on the weekends, ONEOK Field is where Tulsa’s professional soccer team, the Roughnecks, play. Their next upcoming game is on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. and tickets range from about 10 to 40 dollars. ONEOK is also the home of Tulsa’s minor league baseball team, the Tulsa Drillers, and tickets for this are about 13 dollars. Not only are there fun sports games to watch on most Friday nights, they end the game with a booming firework display.

•The Philbrook Museum is one of Tulsa’s coolest places to visit, and the best part? It’s free for ORU students who flash a student ID. Their location on South Rockford Road, just a block east of Peoria, not only showcases a plethora of fantastic art, but also a massive garden, complete with a few garden cats. There is a new downtown location as well, in the Brady Arts District on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Both locations are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.